Increased expression of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway in murine myotubes by proteolysis-inducing factor (PIF) is associated with activation of the transcription factor NF-kappa B

Proteolysis-inducing factor (PIF), isolated from a cachexia-inducing murine tumour, has been shown to stimulate protein breakdown in C 2C12 myotubes. The effect was attenuated by the specific proteasome inhibitor lactacystin and there was an elevation of proteasome 'chymotrypsin-like' enzyme activity and expression of 205 proteasome α-subunits at concentrations of PIF between 2 and 16 nM. Higher concentrations of PIF had no effect. The action of PIF was attenuated by eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) (50 μM). At a concentration of 4 nM, PIF induced a transient decrease in IκBα levels after 30 min incubation, while no effect was seen at 20 nM PIF. The level of IκBα, an NF-κB inhibitory protein, returned to normal after 60 min. Depletion of IκBα from the cytosol was not seen in myotubes pretreated with EPA, suggesting that the NF-κB/IκB complex was stabilised. At concentrations between 2 and 8 nM, PIF stimulated an increased nuclear migration of NF-κB, which was not seen in myotubes pretreated with EPA. The PIF-induced increase in chymotrypsin-like enzyme activity was also attenuated by the NF-κB inhibitor peptide SN50, suggesting that NF-κB may be involved in the PIF-induced increase in proteasome expression. The results further suggest that EPA may attenuate protein degradation induced by PIF, at least partly, by preventing NF-κB accumulation in the nucleus. © 2003 Cancer Research UK.

Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3, subunit a, regulates the extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathway

The extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway participates in the control of numerous cellular processes, including cell proliferation. Since its activation kinetics are critical for to its biological effects, they are tightly regulated. We report that the protein translation factor, eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3, subunit a (eIF3a), binds to SHC and Raf-1, two components of the ERK pathway. The interaction of eIF3a with Raf-1 is increased by ß-arrestin2 expression and transiently decreased by epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulation in a concentration-dependent manner. The EGF-induced decrease in Raf-1-eIF3a association kinetically correlates with the time course of ERK activation. eIF3a interferes with Raf-1 activation and eIF3a downregulation by small interfering RNA enhances ERK activation, early gene expression, DNA synthesis, expression of neuronal differentiation markers in PC12 cells, and Ras-induced focus formation in NIH 3T3 cells. Thus, eIF3a is a negative modulator of ERK pathway activation and its biological effects.

Ascorbic acid induces an oxidative stress in CCRF cells activating the transcription factors AP-1 and NFRB

We have previously tested the effects of high dose AA supplements on human volunteers in terms of reducing DNA damage, as a possible mechanism of the vitamin’s proposed protective effect against cancer and detected a transient, pro-oxidant effect at high doses (500 mg/day). Herein, we present evidence of a pro-oxidant effect of the vitamin when added to CCRF cells at extracellular concentrations which mimic those present in human serum in vivo (50–150AM). The activation of the transcription factor AP-1 was optimal at 100 AM AA following 3h exposure at 37jC. A minimum dose of 50 AM of AA activated NFnB but there appeared to be no dose-dependent effect. Increases of 2–3 fold were observed for both transcription factors when cells were exposed to 100 AM AA for 3h, comparing well with the pro-oxidant effect of H2O2 at similar concentrations. In parallel experiments the activation of AP-1 (binding to DNA) was potentiated when cells were pre-incubated with AA prior to exposure with H2O2. Cycloheximide pretreatment (10 Ag/ml for 15min) caused a 50% inhibition of AP-1 binding to DNA suggesting that it was due to a combination of increasing the binding of pre-existing Fos and Jun and an increase in their de novo synthesis. Cellular localisation was confirmed by immunocytochemistry using antibodies specific for c-Fos and c-Jun proteins. These results suggest that extracellular AA can elicit an intracellular stress response resulting in the activation of the oxidative stress-responsive transcription factors AP-1 and NFnB. These transcription factors are involved in the induction of genes associated with an oxidative stress response, cell cycle arrest and DNA repair confirmed by our cDNA microarray analysis (Affymetrix). This may explain the abilty for AA to appear to inhibit 8-oxodG, yet simultaneously generate another oxidative stress biomarker, 8-oxo-dA. These results suggest a completely novel DNA repair action for AA. Whether this action is relevant to our in vivo findings will be the subject of our future research.

Role of reactive oxygen species in protein degradation in murine myotubes induced by proteolysis-inducing factor and angiotensin II

The antioxidants butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT, 1 mM) and d-α-tocopherol (10 μM) completely attenuated protein degradation in murine myotubes in response to both proteolysis-inducing factor (PIF) and angiotensin II (Ang II), suggesting that the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) plays an important role in this process. Both PIF and Ang II induced a rapid and transient increase in ROS formation in myotubes, which followed a parabolic dose-response curve, similar to that for total protein degradation. Antioxidant treatment attenuated the increase in expression and activity of the ubiquitin-proteasome proteolytic pathway by PIF and Ang II, by preventing the activation of the transcription factor nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), through inhibition of phosphorylation of the NF-κB inhibitor protein (I-κB) and its subsequent degradation. ROS formation by both PIF and Ang II was attenuated by diphenyleneiodonium (10 μM), suggesting that it was mediated through the NADPH oxidase system. ROS formation was also attenuated by trifluoroacetyl arachidonic acid (10 μM), a specific inhibitor of cytosolic phospholipase A2, U-73122 (5 μM) and D609 (200 μM), inhibitors of phospholipase C and calphostin C (300 nM), a highly specific inhibitor of protein kinase C (PKC), all known activators of NADPH oxidase. Myotubes containing a dominant-negative mutant of PKC did not show an increase in ROS formation in response to either PIF or Ang II. The two Rac1 inhibitors W56 (200 μM) and NSC23766 (10 μM) also attenuated both ROS formation and protein degradation induced by both PIF and Ang II. Rac1 is known to mediate signalling between the phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI-3K) product and NADPH oxidase, and treatment with LY24002 (10 μM), a highly selective inhibitor of PI-3K, completely attenuated ROS production in response to both PIF and Ang II, and inhibited total protein degradation, while the inactive analogue LY303511 (100 μM) had no effect. ROS formation appears to be important in muscle atrophy in cancer cachexia, since treatment of weight losing mice bearing the MAC16 tumour with d-α-tocopherol (1 mg kg- 1) attenuated protein degradation and increased protein synthesis in skeletal muscle. © 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.